Our Feeding Stations :):)

  Thats great news LW your Collered Doves have really done a wonderful job this year in bringing up 4 clutches. I did wonder if this last clutch would make it as it did seem late in the year for them to have another set of eggs. But they have done a great job, and the mild weather has certainly helped. Hopefully as you say they will return next year, and though its sad they will leave your tree wont be completely empty, it will be full of wonderful memories from this year.

WS

Its been really wierd just lately here, we have had no birds for over two weeks visiting the feeders until today then we have seen two Collered Doves, a Robin, Crow, and Magpie. There has'nt even been any around outside the area, not even in the two lanes where we live  Dont know how the birds have been where you Guys live

WS

Well my two little chicks have finally fledged the nest. They followed suite like the others and practised their flying around the garden and then flew off for longer and longer but they always returned later in the evening but for the last two nights they have not come home, so I assume they are all grown up and I will have to wait until next hear to see if mum and dad return for more nesting.

It has been quiet for birds around here as well WS, a few Magpies and crows but that is about it, I havent even seen a Robin. I wonder if it has something to do with the mild weather? Maybe all the other birds will appear as it gets cooler otherwise its all a bit of a mystery  

littlewid-x-

Great news LW, you have certainly had a great year with your Collared Doves and lets hope they return next spring.

I was standing at the kitchen sink yesterday, contemplating the washing-up when I noticed a young robin who decided to take a bath in the bird bath/water container on my feeder. It was a little strange as it had only just stopped raining and I would have thought some nice fresh rainwater would be preferable to a rather dirty bird bath but there again I am not a robin!! He seemed to enjoy the experience and eventually flew off looking decidedly dishevelled and in need of a good blow dry!!










Safariman

  Fantastic shots Safariman, he does look really soaked. Just wondered have you noticed that your Birds have gone quiet ?

WS

  Safariman, lovely photos of your robin.

Yes, all is quite quiet here with the bird feeders, they come and go a bit but not nearly so much except of course the young pheasants. We still have 5 of them, + their mother and Fizal their father and one P'fer Ptolemy who has joined them and now thinks he is part of their clan. I have renamed him a Pheasidge as he's obviously confused (and so is Pete by my weird habit of naming everything that moves)  

Lai

Yes WS it is a lot quieter than earlier in the year. I think that can be put down to our wonderful summer and early autumn. After the awful winter the birds were obviously searching everywhere for food to build themselves up for the breeding season. Then the summer came with an abundance of food and they didn't need our help quite so much. In fact I stopped putting out food for a while as the seed and peanuts remained untouched and started to rot and the birds were only interested in the tasty morsels, i.e. fat balls and fat pellets!! They seem to be slowly returning to the feeders as I presume the wild food is becoming scarcer. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks.

Safariman

Oh my goodness Safariman, my favourite bird and what simply stunning photos, I know he is a real bird but those pictures make you feel as though you are there with him right now, they really are amazing. He looks as though he is having such fun and he is a youngster isnt he but so gorgeous, you have captured so much in those pictures and I reckon you should send them into Autumn Watch or at least some photographic competition, they are worthy winners and deserved to be enjoyed by thousands. I for one, cant stop looking at them, he's beautiful.

littlewid-x-

Thanks for the compliments everyone. I was just lucky, being in the right place at the right time!! But I must remember to clean the kitchen window as all this rain has made trying to take pictures through them like looking through a fog. And what you don't see are all the photos I have to delete just to get one or two decent ones!!!

Safariman

  Safariman, same here  

Lai

Well you keep cleaming those windows Safariman becuase I really enjoy your photos  

littlewid-x-

I've had a bit of a quandary recently where I put out a full tray of mealworms and within minutes they are devoured my Starlings. Now I know that they have babies to feed but the little birds dont get a chance. By accident I found the answer, mix the mealworms in the tray with a standard seed mix and the Starlings have a problem seeing the mealworms. They do get food but at a slower rate so they leave some for the smaller birds

Good thinking there PPH. Starlings do tend to bomb the feeding stations a bit in general anyway don't they but Yes I imagine with babies to feed they are going to be a bit more voracious in their attack but now at least they are still able to feed and also feed their babies but the little birds also stand a chance of getting food   

littlewid-x-

new colourful feeders bought today

  PPH - those are very colourful. I wonder what the birds will think   

Lai

The bird feeders have been very quiet this spring with only a voracious wood pigeon and the occasional starling as visitors. I have even been having to throw food out of the feeders that has gone mouldy or with the seed feeders that has started to sprout!!
However the last couple of days everything has changed. I think this years new crop of birds has finally fledged and is on the lookout for food. I have seen Great tits, a young Goldfinch and hordes of Blue tits as well as a robin. It made me clean the kitchen window inside and out to try and get some photos. The weather hasn't helped with constant heavy showers but the occasional burst of sunshine makes all the difference to the pics!!



Great tit





Young Blue tit



How many Blue tits?







It is difficult to know at times which are the parents and which are the fledglings!!



Not much room on the feeder



Coming in to land!!
I didn't realise I had captured this until I looked at the photo on the computer, just goes to show you shouldn't be too quick to delete a photo.



A curious Robin wonders what's going on!!





The Wood pigeon who will eat anything he can get his beak to!!

SM

Thanks Doogs.
It has been very busy on the bird feeders the last few days with all the newly fledged little ones. At one stage yesterday morning I had 12 Blue tits and 4 Great tits plus one bemused young goldfinch all on the feeders at the same time!!! Unfortunately I couldn't get any photos as it was pouring down and very dark even though it was breakfast time.
I have put together a short video showing some of the visitors to the feeders over the last few days.




SM

Just caught up with this Safariman. Great photos especially through a window, you'll have to let me know what you clean your windows with   . Love the one of the Blue Tit on the feeder looking up at the window, looks like its saying what are you looking at   and the last one of the Wood Pigeon reminds ne of one of the Chickens in The Great Escape cartoon movie. You've certainly got some different visitors coming to your feeder station in the video. You feeder looks the same as ours, sadly my feeders still down after all the gales we had. I need to find a new way of securing it, at the moment its been standing in a marble patio umbrella base, but I cant pack the tube solidly enough to stop it swaying, and we haven't got any grass or soft ground to put it in    .

WS

  Safariman, lovely photos and what a huge array of birds and newly fledged birds. We're just seeing all our fledged birds too, so many and it's just wonderful to see them at the feeders.

Thanks for sharing.

Lai

The feeders are still busy, particularly with newly fledged Blue tits and Great tits. Some of them look incredibly scruffy as they get all their adult feathers. Did have an unusual visitor yesterday when a Magpie landed on the feeder. They are huge birds and very beautiful, in fact they are one of my favourites. The Wood pigeons who try and scoff everything they can, nested in my neighbours garden and are raising 2 huge chicks. I tried to get some photos but there are so many leaves and branches in the way it is difficult to get a clear shot.



A scruffy Blue tit



A young Great tit



Great tit



Young Blue tit



Magpie





A not very photo of the Wood pigeon chick on the nest




SM

Lovely photos again SM, love the one of the Blue Tit taking a piece of peanut from the feeder, and that did look like a very scruffy Blue Tit   I don't think you could get a much better shot of the Pigeon Chick in the position the nest's in. Lovely to have so many young around, sadly I still haven't been able to resurrect our feeder yet so we are missing out, we just have a tray on top of the a bunker, but we have a new family of Squirrels around, and they re getting most of the nuts, and stuff

WS